The wondrous Cliff....

Unbreakable is released at Ellora’s Cave. To go into the draw to win the Aussie stuff in the picture - all you need to do is answer two simple questions. The answers can be found somewhere in the book or on this blog….say if you scrolled down a bit.

Question 1: What subject does lecturer Dash Lomard teach?

Question 2: How old is India Blake?

Email the answers to amarinda_jones@yahoo.com.au. Please put ‘Contest’ in the subject field of the email.

The first correct answer, drawn at random, to those two specific questions wins the Aussie gift set in the picture. And yes, the t-shirt comes in XXL – I checked. The contest closes at midnight (USA EST) on June 6th. The winner will announced on the blog after they have been contacted by email. Good luck.

I got an urgent phone call today. A friend was in a state of panic and I had to help her or she was in deep trouble. I mentally calculated what bail money I could scrape together and I realized I could only probably get one of her arms released from jail. The rest of her would have to stay in the nick. Her desperate question to me? What did I remember of Pilgrim’s Progress??? Huh? “You read it at Uni didn’t you?” Well, technically yes, I browsed it at Uni until I realized that there was no way I could read that book without falling asleep and I got the Cliffs notes. “So you cheated?” No, Cliffs notes aren’t cheating. They are study aids that cut through all the boring crap and tell you the crux of the story – anyway that’s my story and I’m sticking to it. “Okay, whatever – what do you remember?” It seems she has been given this book in one of her Open Uni (study from home) classes. Remember? Other than knowing where all the Cliffs notes were housed in the University library – not much. There was a pit of pitifulness or something like that and a slough of somewhere or other…and there’s also a Slough outside of London. “London? How does that help me?” Well, it doesn’t, it’s just an

aside. I burbled on about Christian wandering through various obstacles, temptations etc. “Why was he doing that?” I can’t remember…possibly something to do with challenges in life or maybe he was looking for the Holy Grail or maybe there was no place like home and he just had to remember that and tap his heals together. “You’re hopeless,” she said.

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Hey, I know that. Anytime I got assigned books to read at Uni I used to look at them and think ‘Holy crap…seriously?” I love books but these are not ones I would choose. Yes, I know they’re all classics but I could never see how they related to getting my degree. Another book that drove me to Cliff and his wondrous notes was The Scarlet Letter. You’re probably all saying – what? That’s a classic. Is she a philistine? Yes, more than likely. The thing that turned me off that was the fact that the woman took all the blame for sleeping with the weak, spineless so called hero. My lecturer at the time said – ‘but what about the passion in the book, Amarinda?” Now if the heroine had of slugged the weak kneed hero and then stuck the scarlet letter to his head with superglue, then yeah, I would have called that passion. But otherwise, sorry Nathaniel mate, I did not like the book. Again, Cliff saved my arse. I wish I had of known about him

when I was in my senior year in high school and instead of reading the exceedingly boring Day of The Triffids, I watched the movie. Humongous mistake that. The book and the movie were only a like in the title and to base my essay on that had my teacher laughing his arse off.

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So what is the point of this? Well, maybe that you have to read a story instead of asking someone else to form your opinions. Maybe, that everyone is so different that we’re not always going to agree on stuff so why get pissed off if we don’t. Or maybe don’t ask me to help you to do book reports. And no, please don’t try to explain Pilgrims Progress to me. I prefer to blissfully unaware. How did I ever get my Bachelor of Arts with this half arsed philosophy? I turned up to the required number of classes, I parroted back what the lecturer said in my papers – because that’s what they wanted to hear – their words and not my opinions - and I knew if there was only one degree up for grabs then I would get my chubby fist on it first because I wanted it. What have I used my degree for in life so far? Hmmm…absolutely nothing. It’s in a frame somewhere in the house. No, it’s not on a wall. I have more important crap on the walls like 1950’s Spanish bullfighter posters and flying plaster ducks…a degree can’t compete with that. However, that’s not to say that anything I have learned is wasted. I’m sure it’s just in abeyance somewhere until it’s needed. And by the way – thanks Cliff.

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By the way – the rain I mentioned in the previous blog was a fizzer…never mind…life goes on.

Also…remember Mervina the possum? No, she’s not back terrorizing me but here’s a possum that was found in the same part of Brisbane as where I live. Click here. Thankfully Mervina was a little smarter than this one….

Author Nancy Hunter has an ongoing summer contest for theme prizes related to her first release, Taste of Liberty, coming July 17. Sign up for her newsletter at www.nancyhunterbooks.com to be eligible for cool prizes like Native American jewelry and free book downloads. First drawing will be June 7.

www.freewebs.com/amarindajones/
Go ahead: Live with abandon. Be outrageous at any age. What are you saving your best self for?

Bloody hell, it's Monday tomorrow...

Shades of Grey - review

This story is filled with fascinating characters that come to life on the page. Ms. Jones has an ability to write dialogue that pulls the reader in deeply. The two characters of Temperance and Asher mesh well on many levels. Asher has a darkness not just about him, but literally stalking him. The threat is real and once he reveals his secrets one understands his need to have a woman like Temperance in his life. She may just be the savior he needs to give him the happiness he craves. Temperance is not push over and Asher must treat her as an equal. She brings threads of happiness into this tale. Both characters are connected on many levels and as their relationship blooms so too does the reader's understanding of it. The secondary characters sprinkled throughout add to the stories appeal. The erotic scenes are artfully presented and are tastefully done. There are many moments in this story that had me laughing out loud. I would recommend this story to those who enjoy a good paranormal story that is well-written.
http://theromancestudio.com/reviews/reviews/shadesofgrayjones.htm

Thanks Romance Studio for the great review. I got another review last week, during my internet dramas, and it made me smile. It was a horrible review for Marlow’s Curse – the sort of review most authors would hate to get. But me – it made me laugh. Why? No, I’m not on drugs or under the affluence of incohol. It was amusing to me as this particular review site hates everything I write - but I like that they are consistent in their dislike of me. That shows commitment. So no, bad reviews don’t worry me as the good reviews and the fan letters outweigh all that. Besides it’s just opinion and opinion can’t kill you unless you let it.

When I was a university, I swapped courses a lot – sort of like how I swap jobs a lot now. Anyway, at one time I was studying journalism in this snotty, posh uni in Canberra. Canberra is our nation’s capital. It’s about as exciting as staring at a brick wall. Limp lettuce leaves are more exciting than Canberra – just a deadly accurate Amarinda opinion of course. Why did I go to Uni there? Well when I was living and working in London and traveling aimlessly, yet joyfully around the world, I had a moment of what-the-hell-am-I-going-to-do-with-my-life? Of course now at 44, I still have no idea but I don’t worry about that as life just happens and go with the flow. Anyway a Uni in Canberra was the only one that accepted the transient Amarinda. After living in London for several years, coming to Canberra was like going to a foreign, dull, colourless land. It is a very stiff place where everyone conforms to fit in and if you don’t then you are most definitely an outsider and treated accordingly. So, colour me the outsider.

Anyway what has that to do with anything? Well, going back to reviews, I was in a class where I had to write several pieces of fiction and then everyone had to critique them. Everyone universally hated my work because it was too flippant, too tongue in cheek and ‘is humour really necessary in writing, Amarinda?’ At the time I thought what a bunch of wankers and I was mildly upset especially as the piece of writing the class members thought was the best was an ‘ode to basketball.’ Yes, exciting stuff that. I bet you did not know that a basketball can be compared to the moon and the sound of it slapping against your palm is like a lover’s kiss. Yes, strange people those Canberrans. I should point out that all our politicians hang out in Canberra…say no more. So back to reviews and people’s opinions in general on you – why worry about them? To my mind someone is always going to dislike you or you’re never going to fit into a certain click so why bother caring?

So, I bought a new fridge. Yes, much excitement – not. The old one is only 19 years old but it is starting to make those ominous I-don’t-bloody-want-to-work-noises-and-I-will-die-in-the-arse-when-it’s-the-most-incovenient-for-you. The new fridge cometh next Saturday. Boy oh boy, do I know how to live huh? I also bought a new toaster. When using the old one, it used to trip the safety switch in the house and turn all the power off. I’m going to miss running downstairs to turn it back on…not. And I managed to buy a $20 clock radio that has an alarm and tells the time without NASA having to be involved with satellite coordinates. So a productive and expensive day. Let’s hope nothing else decides it must give up the ghost.

I had to stop writing today in order to make an emergency dash to buy a Magnum Caramel Ego ice-cream (Aussies would know them). It was somewhat of an emergency. I was sitting in front of the PC waiting for some fascinating words of inspiration to come to me and there was nothing. So, you can see how I was forced to get in the car and stop at the corner shop and buy an ice-cream. I came home, changed into my flanno pj’s and devoured said ice-cream. I feel re-generated now. Pjs and ice-cream have remarkable restorative effects. I believe my characters will be eating ice-cream as well….and hey, maybe they’ll strip off each other’s flanno pjs…after they eat the ice-cream of course, as to have it melt just for the sake of sex would be a crime. One must write realistically.

Tell me, what is it with men who have to continuously rev an engine of a motorbike for what seems like hours on end? There is someone up the street doing it and I cannot fathom how it does not annoy the crap out of him listening to that irritating noise. And, what exactly is he listen for? Is there some subtle nuance that he can detect as he revs continuously? Is it some sort of male thing that calls to him like the need for an ice-cream called to me? Is it an existential thing that is far beyond mortals and that somehow a god has descended into the neighbourhood and by revving the bike he is communicating with other god-like creatures? Or is it as I suspect that he is a bloody idiot and probably can’t get a woman so he is in love with the sound of his bike as it requires hardly any effort to be turned on?
Author Sandra Cox has another excellent contest on her blog – and it’s really easy so hustle over there to win. And check out Musings of a Cover Artist I believe Lyn is going through a scary Little House on the Prairie stage. Maybe we’ll need to call an intervention.

Anny and Kelly are somewhere in America…that’s all I can tell you.

www.freewebs.com/amarindajones/
Go ahead: Live with abandon. Be outrageous at any age. What are you saving your best self for?